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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Guest Blog & Giveaway with SM Reine

Many centuries ago, Earth was a battleground. Heaven and Hell poured their fury across the world. Demons devoured man. Angels battled evil. Mankind struggled to survive. It was a horrible free-for-all with humans in the middle, and the bodies piled high.

Thousands of voices cried out for a savior. Alexander the Great answered.

He called together a caucus of the most powerful demons and angels, and they came to an agreement: Demons must stay in Hell, and angels must stay in the Heavens. They can live and breed on Earth, but only if they accept the rule of man—and a special class of mortal warriors was established to ensure ethereal and infernal cooperation.

Alexander the Great named his warriors after a brutal sword used by the Greek army: “Kopes.” They’ve saved countless lives in the years since then.

I’d like to say that this is all true. It would be nifty and reassuring to think of a special army designed just to protect us, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, even if Alexander the Great was pretty great, we’ll have to leave “forcing monsters from Hell to bend to his will” off his hefty list of accomplishments.

Getting to write about kopes and aspes is pretty cool, though. Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner (the heroes of my new book, Death’s Hand) have a lot of work in front of them. Keeping the balance of power in line isn’t easy, and it only gets harder as we grow more distant from the influence of Alexander the Great!

Elise and James are definitely up to the job. Here’s an excerpt from Death’s Hand to show you how these two handle a girl who’s been possessed by a demon:

Elise tackled Lucinde, smashing both of them into the fence. It shuddered with the force of the impact. Her hands slipped on Lucinde, and the girl darted for a pile of landscaping boulders at the opposite corner.

James moved to cut her off. She froze, then tried to dart in the other direction.

Elise was already there, uncoiling the extra rope in her fists. Her chain of charms jingled at her belt, and the crosses seemed to glow.

Blood-caked fingernails flashed at Elise’s face. She threw herself out of the way, grabbing the girl’s wrist. Lucinde snatched the charms at Elise’s belt. The belt loops popped, and she flung them aside. The charms sank into a puddle of mud.

James dove for Lucinde. She darted aside, but he managed to catch her arm. Her flesh was so hot it nearly burned his hand. He jerked her around, and she kicked him—hard—in the shin.
He growled, hefting Lucinde under his arm. She snapped at his arms with her teeth. He clamped a hand over her mouth.

Elise knelt in the mud, searching for her charms.

“I can’t find them!”

“Forget it. Door,” he grunted. Elise threw it open, and he rushed through. Lucinde kicked hard, nearly squirming out from under James’s arms. “Get her feet!”

Elise took her by the ankles, bracing them as James dragged her down the stairs.

Fumbling at the back of her neck, Elise took off her cross necklace and pressed it to Lucinde’s cheek. Her voice hardened, deepening with power as she summoned up the memory of the oft-recited rituals from ancient books to do her first exorcism in years.

“I exorcise you, impious demon,” she recited, and Lucinde’s face screwed up with pain. “In vain do you boast of this deed. I command you to restore her as proof you no longer have any rule over her soul. I abjure—”

Lucinde swung. “Elise!” James yelled.

Her fist connected. Elise’s back smacked into a wall, and Lucinde lunged.

Elise braced herself and took the impact, translating the momentum into a throw. Lucinde slid, but regained her footing immediately.

Elise scooped her rope from the floor, holding it in the joint of her elbow to keep her hands free. She grabbed the girl by her collar and slammed her into the wall. The drywall cracked.

We’ve come a long way since the days that Alexander the Great reigned, but the fights just keep getting dirtier and dirtier. I mean, taking possession of a little girl? Low blow, Hell. Low blow. It’s the fight of Elise’s life in Death’s Hand, and it’s a heck of a ride (if you’ll pardon the pun).

DEATH'S HAND

By SM Reine

Out Now!

Policing relations between Heaven, Hell, and Earth is messy and violent, but Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner excelled at it-- until coming across a job so brutal that even they couldn't stand to see one more dead body.

Now they've been pretending to be normal for five years, leaving their horrific history a dark secret. Elise works in an office. James owns a business. None of their friends realize they used to be one of the world's best killing teams.

After years of hiding, something stirs. Bodies are vanishing. Demons scurry in the shadows of the night. A child has been possessed.

Some enemies aren't willing to let the secrets of the past stay dead...

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I purchase most of my books, but I do receive some ARCs. Either through contests or they are sent to me from a publisher, author or a publicity company. I don't receive payment for any of my reviews. In exchange I provide an honest review. For each book that is sent to me you'll find in the review a link/credit to whoever sent the book.